Sold to the Alpha (Alma Venus Shifter Brides 1)

The old woman stood up and went to clear the table. “Would you like some tea?”

“No, thank you.”

“Well, then, I’ll take this back to the kitchen.” She balanced the tray in one hand, and drew the key out with the other. Avelyn eyed it curiously. “Maybe? But no.” Christine unlocked the door and gave her a smile and a “see you later” before she closed it behind her and locked it back.

Avelyn threw the tissue across the room. “Fuck!”

***

Each night, Max became more and more demanding. He had kept his promise to wait for Avelyn to be ready to give herself to him entirely and in every way he knew how to take her, but she felt the impatience bubbling underneath his every touch, kiss, and caress. She would have given in completely and wholeheartedly if it weren’t for the rational part of her brain reminding her time and time again that the last thing she needed was to remain pregnant. The moment that happened, she would have to kiss her freedom goodbye and accept that she would never be more than Max’s wife, the mother of his children, and the mistress of the Schloss. She couldn’t let that happen. So, each time Max’s eyes begged for her to let him bury himself deep inside her, and his hard cock inched too close to her soaked, pulsing entrance, she grabbed his hips and forced her hands to push him away rather than pull him closer. “Please, I’m not ready yet.” And Max understood each and every time, restrained himself, and either went down to lick her frantically until she orgasmed, or shoved his cock into her mouth and fucked her hard and deep until he released all his lust and frustration in hot streams she swallowed greedily. Not going all the way stressed them both, and Avelyn ended up still horny even after his tongue and fingers had made her orgasm two or three times. But there was no way she’d risk getting pregnant.

She had searched the Internet for contraceptive methods, but she soon realized she couldn’t get access to any of them. And the calendar method was out of the question. It was too risky to even take into consideration. Her only chance was to either convince Max to use protection, or find a way to protect herself without him knowing. The first was not even an option, let alone a solution. Avelyn laughed bitterly the moment it crossed her mind. An Alpha using protection when the main purpose of getting a human bride was breeding? There was no way that would ever happen. Not in this world. So, naturally, her only chance was Christine. But, how could she convince the old woman to help her when she saw so clearly that she always took Max’s side? Christine was a werewolf, and it was in her nature to abide by the rules. So, with no further ado, it was safe to say that Avelyn was in deep shit.

After Christine left, she sat down in front of her laptop and started browsing the porn sites she had bookmarked for later reference. “Let’s see if I can find some kinky ideas I can put into practice tonight. Something good enough to distract him one more night.” Faking a headache was also out of the question. She was trying to seduce him, after all, so the idea was to show him how eager and hungry for him she was all the time. It was better to overdo it than give him the slightest reason to start asking questions about why she always stopped him at the last moment. When the “I’m so innocent”-card didn’t work, she switched to the “I’m so scared it will hurt”-card, also known as the “you’re too big for me”-card. But she knew her tricks wouldn’t work forever. They’d eventually get old, and then she’d have to submit. She clicked through a couple of videos, keeping in mind the positions and kinks that could have proven useful.

Avelyn spent the whole afternoon mindlessly jumping from one site to another, then trying on the dresses and sexy lingerie with which Max had filled their dressing room. Her new wardrobe was a gift from him, a way to apologize for keeping her locked up in a room like a princess in a tower. Except, in this case, he was both the villain and the hero. She turned on the TV on the news channel, and tried on all the pretty dresses she had refused to wear because there was no point in dressing nicely if no one except him would see her. Some of them were quite skimpy, and Avelyn guessed they were not intended to be worn outside, while others were extremely elegant and sophisticated. “Hmm… what should I put on for dinner? It was a mistake not to wear them,” she thought while switching between a black lace dress and a purple chiffon dress in front of the huge mirror on the dressing room door. “I should definitely start wearing them, or he’ll think I’m refusing his gifts.” She settled for the black one. The deep cleavage barely covered her nipples, and the hem stopped right under her butt. She chose a pair of black stilettos that made her legs go on and on forever. But Max didn’t make it to dinner.

“Oh, this dress fits you so well,” Christine complimented her while she was setting the table for one.

“What does it matter if he’s not here to see it?” Avelyn was disappointed, but she couldn’t quite say if it was because she had spent all afternoon making herself pretty for him, or because she hadn’t seen him for almost seven hours.

“He must have been caught up with business. It happens all the time.”

“Right, business,” Avelyn huffed. “What is his business anyway? Each time either of you mention it, you use these elusive worlds. Business, work, important affairs. What is this? Some kind of code language?”

Christine sighed. “You must be patient, child. He will tell you everything one day.”

“Why is it such a secret?”

“It’s not. It’s just…” Christine threw Avelyn a glance filled with compassion and regret. She rubbed her bony hands against her thin, sagging hips, as if she was trying to rub away the sweat that had gathered in her palms. She didn’t know how to choose the right words.

“What? It’s just what?” Avelyn pressed on. Silence. She studied the old woman, trying to read the expression painted on her face. “Oh… right. It’s just that he doesn’t trust me,” she hung her head in disappointment. How could she have been so naïve? Of course Max wouldn’t tell her anything about his family and their business or political affairs. He couldn’t trust her. She remembered the short discussion about Councilor Voinom and his sons. Did Max think that she actually hated him enough to go straight to his competitors if she ever managed to escape the Schloss? Maybe she did.

“I’m sure he’ll be back after dinner,” offered Christine.

“Yeah, whatever. Thank you for now. I’d like to eat alone.” Avelyn was a bit harsh with the old woman, but Christine didn’t protest. She left the room, and, as the key turned in the lock, Avelyn was surrounded by silence. She eyed the food before her, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore. She had the impression that everyone and everything was against her. How was she supposed to live like this? How was she supposed to dream like this? Make plans for the future? Whatever that future would be… She grabbed the fork and knife and willed her shaky hands to use them.

***

After she finished eating, she left the tray with the leftovers on the table, and went to take a shower. She threw the pretty dress in the

laundry bin and abandoned the stilettos in the middle of the bathroom. The hot water helped her relax, and cleared her mind enough to allow her to lay down in bed, a comedy playing on TV. Christine had taken the tray back to the kitchen and left a hot mug of jasmine tea on her nightstand. It was perfect. She didn’t feel like seeing her at least until the next day. The woman was not her friend, and Avelyn knew she’d do well to remember that. She focused on the movie, glad that it was hilarious enough to make her smile from time to time and forget about all the dark, stressful thoughts that had clouded her mind all day.

When she heard the key turn in the lock, her heart jumped. She sat up in bed and saw Max enter the room cautiously, as if not to disturb her in case she was sleeping. Why was her heart beating so damn loudly?

“You’re awake,” he said. He was next to her, capturing her lips in a hungry kiss, before she could understand what was happening. He had crossed the room in a mere blink of an eye.

“I’ll never get used to how fast you can move.”

Max laughed and took her in his arms, peeling away the bathrobe to kiss her neck and shoulders. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it for lunch and dinner.”

“You could have called.”

“I know, I know. I wanted to, but I couldn’t find a free second. This whole… this whole thing is eating up all my time. And my wolves’.”

“What thing?” She knew he wouldn’t tell her, but she had to try. After all, Avelyn was naturally curious, and if she stopped asking, Max would certainly notice.

He kept her at arm’s length to study her face and wet hair. “You’re gorgeous!”